Poet, Teacher, Writer, Editor
Welcome to my web site. In various capacities, I'm a poet, teacher, writer, and editor based in western Wisconsin near the Twin Cities. My work is strongly rooted here, so in my poems you'll meet some of the people, animals, birds, flowers, and trees I encounter day to day, not least the wonderfully named kinnickinnic, or red osier dogwood or red willow, so plentiful in these parts. I like the symbolism of kinnickinnic, so ready to root from a cutting that the Indians saw it as an emblem of resurrection.
I've kept this site simple for easy navigation. "About" will fill you in on a little biographical background. "Poems" showcases a few poems with which I've been particularly happy over the years. I'm using the "Blog" section to air occasional essays on literature, culture, and current affairs. "Publications" provides a brief bibliography of my published work. "Contact" tells you how to get in touch with me. (I always welcome comments by readers, not to mention invitations to read or teach.) And this home page does double duty as a calendar for upcoming events. I hope you'll have as enjoyable a time glancing around this site as I've had putting it together.
CALENDAR
Upcoming Readings:
6:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 1 - Nina's Coffee Cafe, 165 Western Ave., St. Paul, 651/292-9816, with Kathryn Kysar and Sean Hill
2-4 p.m., Sunday, November 7 - Perry Ingli Studio, 1500 Jackson St. NE., #265, Minneapolis, MN, with music by guitarist David Roos (Perry's original cover art for The Foot of the Rainbow will be on display!)
7 p.m., Tuesday, November 9 - Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, Red Dragonfly Press publication reading with Timothy Young (more details to come)
7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 13 - College of St. Scholastica, Somers Lounge, Duluth, MN, with Jude Nutter (scheduling to be confirmed)
Teaching:
Writing Poems with Heart. This fall I'll once more be offering my class on writing from the "heart" or "heat" centers of our lives. This class is content-based, and touches on many of the main areas of concern common to us all. Subjects of individual sessions include childhood, home place, the elegy, the love poem, the nature poem, war and peace, the city, and the cosmos. Come join me for this generative class designed to help students write wider and deeper into their lives. Thursdays, September 16-December 9, 5-7 p.m. For more information, call the Loft Literary Center at 612-379-8999.
Minnesota Men's Conference, September 14-19, Camp Miller, Sturgeon Lake, MN, www.hiddenwine.com or call 860/923-6987 (I'll be present all days except the 16th)
Sinclair Lewis Writer's Conference, Saturday, October 9, Sauk Centre, MN, afternoon workshop, "Writing Poetry in Hard Times," contact Jim Umhoefer, 320/352-2735
New Book Is Here!
I'm delighted to announce the publication of my new poetry collection, The Foot of the Rainbow, just out from Red Dragonfly Press. You can order a copy or view the gorgeous Perry Ingli cover art at www.reddragonflypress.org/music/3261. I'll announce more readings for the fall soon, so keep an eye on this space.